Authorities: Bank robber arrested at Lani Kai

David Albers/Staff
- Collier County Sheriff's Office employees investigate the scene of a bank robbery at the Bank of America at 4898 Davis Boulevard in the Kings Lake Square shopping center on Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Naples.

After knocking over an East Naples bank, authorities say Wakim Stewart headed to the beach to let things cool down in style.

But the heat caught up to him Wednesday, when members of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force tracked him down to the Lani Kai Hotel on Fort Myers Beach.

Authorities identified Stewart, 37, of 1700 41st Terrace S.W., Golden Gate, as the sharply-dressed robber who held up a Bank of America branch Tuesday morning.

Just before noon Tuesday, Stewart, dressed in a dark suit and tie, ball cap and fanny pack, brandished a handgun, pointed it at a teller and demanded cash. He walked out of the bank, 4898 Davis Boulevard, with an undisclosed amount of cash and escaped in a blue sport utility vehicle or minivan.

No one was hurt in the robbery. Bystanders at the bank between Airport-Pulling and County Barn roads said about a half-dozen S.W.A.T. team members converged on the bank after the suspect fled.

Collier County Sheriff's Office detectives identified Stewart as a suspect through a separate investigation being conducted by the Seminole Police Department and the Sheriff's Office, according to a news release. The FBI also assisted in the investigation.

Authorities located Stewart Wednesday night at the Lani Kai. Stewart, who was armed at the time, attempted to flee, but was apprehended and taken into custody.

Stewart is facing charges of armed robbery and grand theft in connection with the robbery. He is also facing charges of resisting an officer, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon by a felon in Lee County relating to his apprehension.